Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, director of Rudaali, dies in Mumbai at 64

Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, well known for her films like Rudaali, Chingaari, Ek Pal and Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence, died on Sunday, aged 64. Lajmi had been suffering from a kidney disease for a while. She has been undergoing treatment at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital, where her end came. She was known for making women-oriented films.

“She passed away at the (Kokilaben Dhirubhai) Ambani hospital at 4.30 am. She was suffering from a chronic kidney disease and liver failure. She was on dialysis. She has been in and out of the hospital for three years. The last rites will be possibly conducted today,” her brother Dev Lajmi told PTI.

The cremation will take place at 12.30 pm at the Oshiwara crematorium in Mumbai. Lajmi is survived by her brother and mother.

A number of film personalities tweeted to pay their tributes to her. These include Soni Razdan, Huma Qureshi and filmmaker Dev Benegal.

Our dear beloved friend Kalpana Lajmi has gone to a better place. RIP my darling Kalpan. I shall miss you so terribly.

— Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) September 23, 2018

Deeply saddened... at around 4:30 am today morning #KalpanaLajmi passed away .. May she rest in peace.

— Huma Qureshi (@humasqureshi) September 23, 2018

Sad to hear about the passing of #KalpanaLajmi from @mitrakalita. Kalpana & I worked together as assistants. She was a powerhouse who made men uncomfortable because she stood fiercely for her rights, her point of view & to tell stories her way...

— dev benegal (@benegal) September 23, 2018

In November last year, Lajmi has to be rushed to hospital after her condition worsened. Prior to that, Lajmi had been bed-ridden for six months and had been undergoing dialysis every other day, according to Scroll.in. The filmmaker’s bills -- amounting to Rs 2.5 lakhs per month - have been paid mostly through celebrity donations. According to a report in the Quint, “All the medical expenses incurred by Kalpana Lajmi have been taken care of by the Indian Films and Television Directors Association, Aamir Khan and Rohit Shetty.” Her mother had earlier revealed that Lajmi had lost one of her kidneys in surgery, and the other was infected.

Kalpana was the partner of Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika’s till his death in 2011. Her memoir Bhupen Hazarika: As I Knew Him was launched earlier this month. She began her cinematic career 25 years ago with veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal.

(With agencies inputs)

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First Published: Sep 23, 2018 09:05 IST